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“As prosecutors, we put a lot of work into these cases,” said Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk. “The sheriff’s department put a tremendous amount of work into this case and most importantly, we put two young girls through hell on the witness stand during that trial.”

Conley could have been sentenced to more than 900 years in prison. The state of Indiana recommended a sentence of 214 years.

Conley was convicted of forcing two underage girls to perform sexual acts with him on multiple occasions between 2003 and 2011. One of the victims said she was 6 years old at the time of the first incident.

“For us, we aren’t only prosecutors, we are parents,” Schalk said. “We both have young children, so you take these cases a little more personal than other cases. They truly are heart wrenching stories.”

One of the victims is now 17 years old. On Thursday, she took the stand and read a letter.

“The victim requested the max sentence,” Schalk said. “She reiterated her feelings toward him that he is a child molester and she did not want him to have the opportunity to take the innocence of any young girls.”

The victim also called Conley a “creep” and “monster.” Conley addressed the court crying and proclaimed his innocence. He asked the judge for mercy when it came to his sentence.

“Well, the max amount of time he is looking at doing at this point, he has already had good-time credit, is 30 more years,” Schalk said.

Conley could be out of prison in his 80s, which doesn’t sit well with the two victims.

“They’re concerned that he could get out in essentially 30 years,” said Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Haverstock. “Most people aren’t going to live that long in prison, but at the end of the day, with good-time credit, it’s possible with this sentence he could be out. And I think that worries them. But they are just glad that this case is over.”

Conley’s defense lawyer and family members declined to comment on the sentencing. Conley said during Thursday’s proceedings that he plans to appeal.